The Right Side of Memphis Read online

  Billie had been riding with Chris, so Andy suggested she ride with him instead. Louise had stayed behind, along with Maria. They were getting the food and stuff ready for the cookout. Billie was thrilled to be riding with Andy because she knew he was wild when it came to motorcycles. They continued to ride around for a few hours and covered at least thirty miles of territory. That was the perfect opportunity for Billie to ask Andy a rather touchy question. She asked, “What was the deal a few years ago about cutting down those trees on public property?”

  Andy commented, “How can I forget about that one. It was all a big misunderstanding. I actually owned the land, but they thought it wasn’t mine to begin with. We finally did get it straightened out. In the end, they were apologizing.” Billie was so glad that he didn’t have to serve time behind bars. Andy was one of the nicest guys she had ever met.

  The sun was setting on the water once they returned. Chris was lying on a lawn chair, playing his harmonica. He said to Billie, “How about going for a swim with me late tonight?”

  Billie thought, “Why not right now?”

  He pleaded, “Because I want us to have privacy, once everyone is asleep.”

  Billie knew then what he meant, and she said, “I will think about it.”

  He then asked, “Did you have fun with Andy? Did you ride with Bobby Douglas, too?”

  Billie lectured, "Well, if you had stuck around instead of running from Lana again, we could've been on the bikes together." Chris just went back to playing his harmonica.

  After they had dinner, a few of the singers decided to rehearse for the big concert that was to be held in two days. While Billie was socializing with some of the guests, Chris was trying his best to be at his worst. Bobby was the target of his aggressions. He was trying to carry on a conversation, and Chris was trying to avoid one. Bobby claimed, “I think this was one of Andy’s greatest ideas yet. I also believe that everyone is having a wonderful time, including Billie.”

  Chris declared, “Well, Billie bumps in to reality and bruises easily. As for me, I feel as if I am on a Federal Express to Hell.”

  That took Bobby off guard. He ended the conversation by saying, “I think I will go look for Kelly now.”

  Chris added, “I saw her earlier. She mentioned something about taking a dip in the pool. She may not be there now though.”

  Bobby asserted, “I’ll catch up with her once I’ve taken care of a few things.” That was music to Chris' ears. Now he could begin his revenge.

  Chris went looking for Billie before his plan would fail. When he found her, she asked, “What is the big rush?”

  He lied, “I just have an urge to be fulfilled. I asked you about it earlier. I figured if we were going to go for a swim, we should do it soon, before others get the same idea. As a matter of fact, I heard someone say they wanted to go swimming later on tonight.” Billie wondered why he was acting stranger than usual. When they reached the pool, Chris started removing his clothes.

  Billie objected, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  He begged, “Don’t you like being spontaneous or taking risks?” Billie got in and he tried to get her to take off the rest of her clothes. She was starting to feel uncomfortable. The way Chris had behaved as of late, was not a turn on. Little did she know, it was just a set up, and someone was watching them.

  The following day, Billie was preparing for the costume party. She received a visitor, Bobby. She let him in her room for a moment. She inquired, “Are you getting ready for the masquerade?”

  He estimated, “I think some people around here have been wearing their masks for some time now.”

  Billie solicited, “What do you mean?” He waited a few seconds before he continued.

  He then said, “Please tell me that the stunt Chris pulled last night, that you had no idea he was going to do that. It was really tacky, to say the least.”

  Billie vowed, “I still have no clue as to what you are saying.”

  He related, “Chris told me last night that my wife was at the pool. But, guess who I found there instead?”

  Billie was shocked, “I can’t believe he would do something like... I know why. How could he do it, especially to me? I figured he would try and get back at you, but why did I have to be a part of it?”

  Bobby asked, “Why is he mad at me? Is it possible he knows about our affair, or the week that you spent with me at my house?”

  She appealed, “You mean to tell me you don’t have the slightest idea? He knows about your affair with Lana and I think he has caught on about us as well.”

  He pleaded, “I admit to our affair, but I have never touched his wife. She was never attracted to me. I was a little, but I only had eyes for my wife. Since when did he start saying stuff like that about me?”

  Billie assumed, “Maybe he wanted to make me turn against you or admit the truth. He never did understand our friendship. It didn’t work out the way he planned. So, he had to resort to those sleazy tactics. I am so upset with him right now, I could just scream!”

  Bobby acknowledged, “He didn’t defend you that much yesterday. One comment he made shocked me. And then he turns around and practically solicits you, just for my viewing pleasure.”

  She admitted, “Chris' behavior never fails to overwhelm me. Just when you almost have someone figured out.” Bobby told her what Chris said. It didn’t bother her too much. She was more worried about what Bobby thought. She feared, “I guess his song is right, 'without her, you’d see a different man.’ He changes more than the weather. I’ve tried to forgive him time and time again, but it only seems to be getting worse. I don’t want to break up with him. He has lost so much.”

  Bobby insisted, “You’d better get out while you still can. In his condition, he could end up hurting you much more than mentally.” She decided she would end it after the concert, the next night.

  So many people dressed up in so many different costumes. Billie wanted to forget about her problems, if only for a few hours. She hoped no one would figure out who she was in her costume. It was only obvious maybe to those who knew her best. Billie noticed who was standing next to her at the punch bowl. It was someone dressed as Sylvester, the cat. Billie then knew that Chris had figured out her costume in advance. She was Cat-Woman. Chris walked up to her and said, “Remember when you told me I had eight lives left?”

  Billie objected, “More like five.”

  Chris petitioned, “Why is that?”

  She argued, “Let’s not discuss it. We are here to have a good time, at least I am.” She mingled and tried to keep her mind off of Chris' wandering one. She danced with a pirate, which she found out later, was Andy. She saw Bobby dancing with his wife. She went to talk to them. Maria showed up dressed as Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz. It was fitting, since she was from Kansas. It was only right that her husband was dressed as the scarecrow. Maria asked Billie where Chris was and she said she’d explain it all to her later. Then, Billie thought she was seeing things. She saw someone come in dressed as a hound dog. Automatically, one person came to mind, Ricky Todd. He had a love for those breeds. She had to find out if it was him. She went over to ask him to dance and he accepted. They danced through a slow song and he finally took off his mask.

  He joked, “Now there’s something you don’t see every day, a cat dancing with a dog.” It was Vance Tipton, not who she originally thought. He was a big Elvis fan, obviously his motivation for the costume.

  The party ended on a good note. Andy sung a few songs and let his daughters sing with him. It was cute. Billie talked to him for a while, once he was alone. They talked about his greatest accomplishments, including his family. He showed her all of his awards and honors he had received. A few in particular caught Billie’s eye. It was awards he won for the songs he wrote with Ricky Todd. Andy asked, “Are you a big fan of Ricky’s?”

  She contended, “The biggest, I guess you could say. He is my inspiration for being in Nashville in the first place, and I am also fro
m his home state.”

  Andy insisted, “I’ll have to invite you over the next time he is here, or when we go visit him.”

  She smiled, “Please do, anytime you can!”

  After Billie left Andy, she ran in to Chris. He questioned, “How did your conversation go with Bobby?”

  She ordered, “I think you need to ask him that. There’s something you need to know.” She took him next door to Bobby’s room.

  He let them in and Chris yelled, “Why did you drag me in here? This is so childish.”

  Billie cried, “Well, stop behaving like one. Bobby has something to tell you.”

  Bobby declared, “I did not sleep with your wife. Call Lana and ask her yourself.”

  Chris snapped, “Like she would tell me. And, how convenient for you. Lana would lie her way out of it, just like you are doing…and just like she did when we were married. Why should I believe you, you’re the expert with affairs. A real man wouldn’t cheat on his wife, and I'm not talking about Lana this time.”

  Bobby lectured, “Well, a real man wouldn’t turn to alcohol because his wife left him.”

  Chris then said to Billie, “I can’t believe you told him about my personal problems. It’s none of his business.”

  Bobby ruled, “Personal isn’t the word for it. You are delusional.”

  Chris thought, “What you said before, does that mean you are admitting to the affair with Billie? Maybe Kelly should know about this.”

  “I already know,” said Kelly, as she entered the room. Billie froze for a moment, awaiting Kelly to slap her. Kelly admitted, “Bobby told me about his mistake. It was as much my fault as his. I’d forgiven him a long time ago for it. I also know that Billie helped him, too. She was responsible for getting us back together. She wasn’t trying to win him for herself. Which, she could have very easily done. There really are no hard feelings.” Billie was bewildered, while Chris was the one with egg on his face.

  A few minutes later, they heard a commotion downstairs. Billie was still reeling from the recent confession, and why Bobby didn’t let her know that Kelly knew the truth. They all went down to see what had happened. Louise was saying, “I can’t believe it. She was doing fine the last time we saw her. It’s too soon. She had so much left to do.”

  Billie asked, “Who are you talking about?”

  Andy said, “Ricky’s wife, Lydia, passed away today.

  It was a tragic announcement, after one so completely shocking, and both out of the blue. What would this mean for Ricky Todd? Only time would tell.

  To Be Continued….

  Click here to purchase “Somewhere in My Heart”, Book 2 in the Tennessee Series, by Jennifer Scott.

  Check out this preview of:

  As the Snow Falls

  Volume 1

  M.D. James

  Chapter 1

  “Naw. She’s okay.” I half managed to get out as my friends were teasing me about having a crush on April Powders.

  “Yeah, you do! Ohhhh, yeah, you do! Jimmy likes April. Jimmy likes April,” Mikey sang out loud while dancing around our lunch table. I’m not sure how, exactly, I became friends with Mikey. I suppose it was because we had homeroom together since I could remember. He was very tall for a thirteen year old and built like a lumber-jack. And, like you’d assume from looking at his unkempt hair and dirt-stained face, he had absolutely no manners. He didn’t even care if there were girls around when he needed to pass gas, or shoot a booger out of his nose. And, he certainly didn’t mind embarrassing me in front of April Powders.

  I was quickly turning beet red, and wanted to die.

  April was a girl who I sat next to each day in my English literature and biology classes. She had curly, brown hair that always smelled like roses. She was our class president, and my lab partner in biology. The truth was, I did have a bit of a crush on her, but I’d never tell Mikey that. No need to give him more ammunition to use on me later. It was always so hard to concentrate on the biology lesson when I was sitting next to April. I was magically transported into the wishful thinking of my mind by the lovely, clean scent of April’s hair. I would get so nervous, though, that I had to constantly wipe the palms of my hands on my pants in class. They would sweat so much when I was around her. I mean, they would sweat a lot…so much so, that I felt like a sweat factory in biology! I probably left class everyday with pit stains under my arms too. I’m sure she thought I was a complete and utter idiot.

  Being thirteen and in high school was hard to figure out. As a teen and high-schooler, I was supposed to hit on girls every chance I got and try to get dates or more from them…but, just last year I was made fun of if I even had a crush on a girl, or a girl had a crush on me. I never really knew what to do, and Mikey seemed to know that and pounced on me every chance he got. Unfortunately, for me, he got a lot of chances. I mean A LOT!

  “Aww…leave him alone, Mike,” my best friend, Connor, interjected. “Can’t ya see he’s embarrassed?”

  Connor was everything I wished I was. He was taller than me…standing at five foot nine inches. He was athletic and toned. He had brown hair and hazel eyes like me, but also kind-of a crooked smile that seemed to make girls swoon. He was the kind of guy who was smart, funny, witty, goofy, and outgoing. I felt very lucky to have him as my best friend. I could tell Connor anything and know my secrets were safe with him. He was completely trust-worthy, and we had been friends since I was nine years old. That’s when he stopped a bully from beating my face to a bloody stump. I know he was just trying to protect me this time too, but Mikey was hard to reel in when he knew he was getting under a person’s skin.

  Just as Mikey was about to start in again, and likely embarrass me to even greater depths than before, the school bell loudly rang.

  RRIIIINNNNNGGGGGG….

  Saved by the bell, lunch was over.

  I exhaled a huge sigh of relief, as I picked up my trash and partially eaten sandwich and tossed them in the fly ridden trash can. I missed while trying to shoot the balled up wrapper into the can, as if it was a basketball. I quickly looked around to make sure Mikey didn’t see my failure, and it seemed that I was in the clear for once. Now, I just had to make it through the rest of the day.

  Connor and I told Mikey we would see him later since he had Algebra class on the other end of campus. As we walked away, Mikey yelled at the top of his lungs, “Jimmy! See ya later, Loverboy!” and cracked up laughing to himself as he blew a kiss in my direction. About thirty kids stopped and started looking at me and laughed…some hysterically.

  “Don’t mind him, dude,” Connor offered, and playfully tussled my hair as he broke away to his locker. He always knew how to make me feel better.

  The next few classes went well. I didn’t have any classes the second half of the day with either Mikey or April, so I could just focus on my schoolwork. I was always a teacher’s pet type of guy. I naturally got good grades, and was always polite and attentive to my teachers. I didn’t brown-nose or anything, but I still got singled out as the example to follow in quite a few of my classes.

  Finally, the last bell of the day rang and I couldn’t wait to get home. Mom said that if I got my homework done early enough, we could go look at Christmas lights around town. I’ve always loved Christmas. Living in Washington State, I was fortunate enough to get a white Christmas every year. It just seemed to make everything so much more magical. The lights seemed to twinkle more, as they reflected off the snow and ice…and the people became just a tiny bit happier, in spite of having to drive in a foot of snow. The cold temperatures made me wanna get a fire going in the fireplace, and drink hot cocoa while watching my favorite Christmas television special. I had to imagine the fire since we never had a fireplace in our house.

  Connor and I lived right next door to each other, so we always walked home together and talked about our day. It was actually the part of my day I normally looked forward to most.

  “Wanna have a snowball fight throw-down?” Connor challenged as we p
assed the park near our houses. A snowball fight throw-down is like the ultimate snowball fight….winner takes all. The last three years Connor has held the championship, but I was determined to beat him one day. It would have to wait until some other day though.

  “Can’t today, bud. We’re going to go look at Christmas lights tonight, so I gotta get my homework for Mrs. Schiltz’s class done ASAP!” I answered. “Maybe tomorrow.”

  “Deal.” Connor said with one of his patented winks as we each crossed our front yards.

  As soon as I opened the worn and squeaky door, I threw off my snow covered shoes and ran straight to the fridge. I was fortunate enough to have a very good metabolism. Though, sometimes, I wondered if I was too thin. I weighed just under one hundred and thirty pounds. I felt like that was a good weight for my age and height. I grabbed some whole wheat bread, three or four ham slices, colby-jack cheese, and some Cheez-Its and headed to my room. I put a sandwich together quickly, and got my books out of my hand-me-down book bag.

  “Is that you, Honey?” I heard Mom yell from down the hall. My Mom was a very pretty lady, who had to raise two kids all alone. She worked hard as a deli manager in our local super-market, and always seemed to have a smile on her face. Sometimes, I worried that she worked too hard. She was older than most of my friends’ moms, and shouldn’t have been doing as much manual labor as she did. My friends used to tease me when I was little about my Mom being the same age as their grandmas, but I still thought she was the best Mom around. When I would see laundry detergent commercials on television, I remembered my childhood being just like what was portrayed in them. The rays of sun would be coming in the windows, with a gentle spring breeze. Mom would always have everything smelling so great, and welcome me home from school with a perfect smile on her loving face.